Ulliance Well-Being Blog

Through personalized communication and sharing of resources, you’ll reach onsite and offsite employees.

Remote work offers many benefits to both employees and organizations. From increased worker productivity and lower overhead expenses to decreased employee stress and a smaller carbon footprint, the practice of remote working is growing in popularity. The 2018 State of the Remote Job Marketplace report from FlexJobs says there are now 3.9 million Americans, or 2.9 percent of the total US workforce, who work from home at least half the time—a 115 percent increase from 2005.

One in five adults in the U.S. will experience a mental illness this year. That’s more than 43 million individuals suffering from a disorder that disrupts their personal life, impacts relationships and affects productivity at work[i].

A recent story went viral about a Japanese company offering an extra six days of paid vacation per year to non-smokers to make up for the time employees who smoked took for cigarette breaks throughout the day. The company is hoping that this incentive will encourage employees who smoke to quit the unhealthy habit for the extra days off. While the impact of this program remains to be seen, it demonstrates how organizations around the world are taking creative action to help their employees adopt healthier lifestyles.

Your business’ financial health is directly tied to the health of your employees.

Lots of sick days. Low engagement and productivity. These business pitfalls can be infrequent, sure, but when you notice that they start becoming a trend, it’s likely they are symptoms of a more significant problem: overlooking employee wellness.

If you’re facing a lot of adversity in life or just struggling to find joy in this world, you might do well to check out the story and sayings of the ancient philosopher Epictetus. He believed that it isn’t the things that happen to us which make us unhappy, but rather our reaction to them that causes those ill feelings.

Modern-day technology and gadgets have made our lives and work easier—but these marvels have also made it much easier for us to sit. A lot.

As our lives become more sedentary, the risks associated with physical inactivity increase. According to one study, physical inactivity shortens life expectancy and increases the risk of many undesirable health conditions, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers.

Teachers, their students and their school districts benefit from wellness programs.

We already know employee absenteeism hurts productivity and increases health care and other costs, but those effects are magnified when the employee is a teacher.

Teachers get sick just like the rest of us. But when they do need to take a sick day, school districts end up paying the absent teacher and shelling out cash for a substitute. Pay for subs can run $130 a day in some states, and sometimes more, if the substitute is highly experienced or needed long term. A 2018 study from Excellent Schools PA found that absent teachers in Pennsylvania, which has one of the highest teacher absentee rates in the nation, cost the state an average of $114 million per year.

And, while sick days aren’t entirely avoidable, there are ways to help teachers take control of their well-being.